Thanks to recording artist Ne-Yo, it’s time to have a heart-to-heart talk about children, gender choices, and other differences.
Lifestyle :
R&B singer Ne-Yo is under rapid fire after publicly sharing his thoughts on parents allowing children to select and change their gender. However, his words have since opened a broader discussion about differences, double standards, and how far is too far.
“I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman,” Ne-Yo said during an interview for VladTV. “ And there was [sic] two genders, and that’s just how I rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, I don’t care. That ain’t my business. It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game with you. I’m not gonna call you a goldfish. But if you wanna be a goldfish, you go be a goldfish.”
Ne-Yo then elaborated by sharing his views on children deciding they are transgender.
“I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl’ and you just let him rock with that? He’s 5 …,” the Grammy-winning singer said. “If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that.
“When did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for themself? When did that happen? I don’t understand. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?” he added.
Almost immediately, the LGBTQ+ community denounced the remarks from Ne-Yo as insensitive, which prompted the singer to take to social media and double down on his words.
“1st and foremost, I CONDEMN NO ONE. Who am I to condemn anybody? Your life, your kids, your choice. I was asked a question and I answered it,” he wrote. “My opinion is mine. I’m not asking anybody to agree with me nor am I telling you what you can and cannot do with your children.
He added: “Why should I care if my opinion upsets you when you don’t care if yours upsets anyone? Opinions aren’t special. We all have one.”
As expected, Ne-Yo’s words sparked an angry response from those who say they’ve never felt comfortable with the gender they were “assigned” at birth. Some even said childhood bullying and the force from society to live as a certain gender prompted psychological issues and thoughts of suicide.
However, others said that although they support the right of adults to be anything and/or anybody they choose, they draw the line when it comes to children. According to their theory, parents should prevent their children from “mutilating” their bodies and changing their gender the same way parents prevent their kids from getting permanent tattoos (until they’re older).
Although there are positives and negatives on both sides of the argument, the opinion from Ne-Yo has presented the opportunity for a valid question: how far is too far?
A mother took to social media to joke about how her little boy “pretends” to be an older senior citizen. The only problem is, he doesn’t appear to be pretending.
The toddler, who is named Jay, insists on being called ‘Grandpa Jay.’ When the family pediatrician asked Jay “What’s it like being a big brother?” to his newborn sister, Jay corrected the doctor and said, “You mean a grandpa?”
Jay was not born a grandpa but says he feels like one. Should everyone around him comply with his wishes and call him “Grandpa” because that’s how he feels?
Popular opinion suggests people are not going to play along once they know he’s serious.
A Japanese man is so convinced that he’s an animal and not a human, that he spent $16K just to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a dog.
The man walks the streets as if he’s a dog and even goes to dog parks to make friends. His dog “look” is so convincing that some people are initially fooled into believing he’s a real live canine.
The Japanese man was not born a dog but says he feels like one. Should everyone around him comply with his wishes and call him a “dog” because that’s how he feels?
Popular opinion suggests people are not going to play along once they know he’s serious.
Granted, some people are scientifically a different gender or even intersex. However, some people are also pretending and going along with social trends.
So, the question is this: if society is expected to accept a person who identifies as a gender other than the one science gave them at birth, should society also accept someone who identifies as a different race, or as a grandpa, or a dog, or a goldfish?
Additionally, if we accept one but not the other, is that a double standard? How does all of this relate to children? And, finally, where do we draw the line — or, how far is too far?
OK WASSUP! discusses Lifestyle:
Gender opinions land singer Ne-Yo in hot water.
So the question is this: if society is expected to accept a person who identifies as a gender other than the one science game them at birth, should society also accept someone who identifies as a different race, or as a grandpa, or a dog, or a goldfish? [ …] – DJ
No indeed.
And let me just add, I am in Absolute Agreement with Everything Ne-Yo expressed related to this matter.
And “if we accept one but not the other,” that to me is a double-standard.
So as to “how does all of this relate to children?”
Regular readers know that I am absolutely Against children having Any kind of surgery that feeds into this madness!
And frankly, I would prefer that no adult be allowed to have this surgery without at least, having to undergo 3-5 years of intensive Counseling first. But adults are grown. What they do with their bodies is on them, no matter how destructive and insane!
LA Times:
Hours after apologizing for transphobic comments he made about parenting and gender identity, Ne-Yo has walked back his apology and doubled down on his original remarks.
On Sunday evening, the “So Sick” singer issued a remorseful statement via X (formerly Twitter) after saying he would not support a child not identifying with the gender they were assigned at birth. By Monday morning, he shared an Instagram video reversing the mea culpa and insisting he is entitled to his opinion.
“I need y’all to hear this from the horse’s mouth, not the publicist’s computer,” Ne-Yo says in the clip, which has since been deleted.
“I do not apologize for having an opinion on this matter. I am a 43-year-old heterosexual man raising five boys and two girls, OK? That’s my reality. Now, if my opinion offended somebody, yeah, sure, I apologize for you being offended because that wasn’t my intention. … However, I’m entitled to feel how I feel. … You are entitled to feel how you feel. I ain’t ask nobody to follow me. I ain’t ask nobody to agree with me.”
I have to say Neyo made a lot of sense. People can make themselves look like a woman then get everybody else to call them one. But that does not make them a woman. Look at the man DJ was talking about says he is a dog. Just because the lady with him pets him and pretends he is dog does not make him one. I know a lot of people got mad because what he said is true. He respect everybody to be whatever they want but he does not want to play the game.
DJ also said something important about kids. Parents will not let kids get their ear pierced let alone a tattoo. But they will let them cut their body up to be something they are not? That makes no kind of sense. And what is all the talk about what somebody got assigned at birth? I was not assigned black when I was born. I am black. All this frustrates me.
Wil, I appreciate the update.
I had heard that Ne-Yo may have walked his comments back. But I wasn’t sure.
Pretty darn weak of him to not be strong enough to stand on his beliefs. But I guess he’s typical of millions of Americans these days who just aren’t strong enough to Stand on their own against so much destructive foolishness!
Hey Truth, his pr person told him to apologize which he did. But he changed his mind and pulled the apology back. I read the article Wil posted. Neyo basically said he meant what he said at first and was willing to take consequences if it hurt his career.
And Ne-Yo’s mixed messages DO NOT help!